An automobile exhaust system comprise 3 main components, being the exhaust pipe, muffler and tail pipe. In rear wheel drive vehicles of conventional design the muffler usually located forwardly of the rear axle of the vehicle, and the tail pipe connects to the muffler, arches over the rear axle and extends towards the rear extremity of the vehicle in an elongated spout portion. Some 80 percent of the total market of domestic automobiles and vans currently comprises so called "popular models" which individually enjoy sales significantly greater than those of other models. Of this 80%, or about 65% of the total, require no fewer than about 250 different tail pipe configurations to be stocked for servicing, necessarily resulting in relatively high costs for inventory, floor space and time for stocking and retrieval purposes.
The tail pipes are generally of some 5-7 ft. (2.2-2.5 m) in length, which poses significant difficulty for distribution, particularly by common carriers, where the length may be retricted to about 4-5 ft. Whilst the length of the tail pipes has not seriously inconvenienced trade at the professional installer level, that is to say in muffler shops, it has impeded distribution through mail-order, self-serve and do it yourself outlets. There is moreover, a further impediment to this portion of the trade, due to the difficulty in fitting tail pipes of normal length to an automotive vehicle, this generally necessitating the vehicle being hoisted to provide a ground clearance between the ground and frame of the vehicle appreciably greater than can be obtained using normal bumper jacks or ramps.
The exhaust pipe of an exhaust system generally connects between an exhaust manifold and the muffler. Increasingly, automotive vehicles are being equipped with catalytic converters, which locate intermediate the ends of the exhaust pipe, the portion thereof which connects between the catalytic converter and the muffler being known as the exhaust extension pipe.
Exhaust extension pipes generally have a length somewhat less than that of the tail pipe, but lengths in the range of about 38 to 80 inches are commonly encountered, creating similar problems in distribution to those earlier spoken of. In certain instances the exhaust extension pipe includes an over the axle section, especially where the muffler locates behind the back axle of the vehicle, and problems in introducing a replacement exhaust extension pipe may be encountered when using simple jacks or the like for elevating the vehicle.
The number of differing exhaust pipes required for servicing the popular model vehicles is fewer than that required for servicing the tail pipes spoken of earlier, but it nonetheless results in high inventory costs, wasteful use of floorspace and difficulties of retrieval.
It is an object of the invention to provide exhaust extension pipe kits for the replacement of OEM exhaust extension pipes that are more readily transportable by public carrier and by individuals.
It is a further object of the invention to provide exhaust extension pipe kits which are suitable replacements for a larger number of OEM exhaust extension pipes.